The learning outcomes for this unit are described below. These outcomes are built from the learning activities in lectures, tutorials, laboratory and independent study. Important attributes are:
- the ability to apply scientific knowledge and critical thinking to identify, define and analyse problem and create solutions: you will be expected to demonstrate these outcomes on problems drawn from the material presented in the course and to novel situations.
- the ability to evaluate your own performance and development and to recognize gaps in your knowledge: keep a portfolio of your progress using the 'self assessment tool'
- Generic Attributes
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- apply scientific knowledge and critical thinking to identify, define and analyse problems, create solutions, evaluate opinions, innovate and improve current practices
- gather, evaluate and deploy information relevant to a scientific problem
- disseminate new knowledge and engage in debate about scientific issues
- recognize the rapid and sometimes major changes in scientific knowledge and technology, and to value the importance of continual growth in knowledge and skills
- use a range of computer software packages in the process of gathering, processing and disseminating scientific knowledge
- make value judgements about the reliability and relevance of information in a scientific context
- evaluate your own performance and development, to recognize gaps in knowledge and acquire new knowledge independently
- set achievable and realistic goals and monitor and evaluate progress towards these goals
- appreciate sustainability and the impact of science within the broader economic, environmental and socio-cultural context
- present and interpret data or other scientific information using graphs, tables, figures and symbols
- work independently and as part of a team and to take individual responsibility with a group for developing and achieving goals
- actively seek, identify and create effective contacts with others in a professional and social context, and maintain those contacts for mutual benefit
- recognize the importance of safety and risk management and compliance with safety procedures
- manipulative equations and measurements with due regard for significant figures and unit conventions
- Laboratory Skills
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- perform careful and safe experiments
- accurately report scientific observations
- work as a professional scientist with due regard for personal safety and for the safety of those around you
- interpret observations in terms of chemical models with appropriate use of chemical equations and calculations
- perform calculations containing concentrations, moles and masses
- choose and use appropriate glassware for a given task
- choose and use balances accurately and appropriately
- present and interpret data or other scientific information using graphs, tables, figures and symbols
- work as a member of a team and to take individual responsibility within a group for developing and achieving group goals
- actively seek, identify and create effective contacts with others in a professional and social context, and maintain those contacts for mutual benefit
- Nuclear and Radiation Chemistry
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- use the appropriate notation to denote nuclides and isotopes
- explain the factors which govern nuclear stability
- balance nuclear equations
- recognize the proton-proton chain and primary nucleogenesis reactions
- use given equations to calculate quantities such as activities, specific activity and molar activity
- calculate ages of artefacts from activity ratios
- use and manipulate equations describing exponential decay
- explain the main mechanism of biological damage by ionising radiation
- explain the main factors that contribute to the severity of radiation damage
- explain why radioactive isotopes are useful in cancer therapy and imaging, and identify the most useful types of radiation for each
- predict the mode of decay for a given unstable nucleus
- Wave Theory of Electrons and Atomic Energy Levels
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- calculate the energy of a photon from its wavelength, and its wavelength from its energy
- relate absorption and emission of photons to changes in electron energy levels
- calculate energy levels for one-electron atoms
- calculate the momentum of particle from its wavelength and calculate the wavelength of a particle from its momentum
- Shape of Atomic Orbitals and Quantum Numbers
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- identify the key features of waves in 1-3 dimensions - displacement, amplitude, nodes
- understand the representations of waves as cross-sectional graphs, contour plots and lobe representations
- recall that s orbitals have n – 1 spherical nodes
- explain why the spatial extent of the electron increases with energy
- identify the principal quantum number
- recall the Born interpretation of the electron wave
- explain the meaning of the orbital quantum numbers, n, l, m, and the designation of orbitals such as 1s, 3d, 4p, 4f
- recognise the representations of waves as cross-sectional graphs, contour plots and lobes
- recognise the shapes of atomic orbitals in these representations
- deduce the number of nodal planes and spheres for an s, p or d orbital
- draw a lobe representation of an s or p orbital
- The Periodic Table and Periodic Trends
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- explain the shape of the Periodic Table using the quantum chemical atomic model
- recognise trends in the Periodic Table, such as atomic radii, ionic radii and ionisation energies
- understand and explain reasons for these trends
- use trends to predict reactivity
- Spectroscopy
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- relate absorption and emission of photons to changes in electron energy levels
- calculate emission and absorption wavelengths from energy levels
- identify constraints on analysis by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)
- describe how the hollow cathode lamp operates, and why it is central to sensitive AAS measurements
- use the Beer-Lambert law
- understand the relationship between absorption and observed colour
- relate electronic absorbance and emission spectra to electronic structure
- recall the meanings of HOMO and LUMO, and determine the lowest energy electronic transition
- describe the process of molecular spectroscopy
- compare and contrast atomic and molecular spectroscopy
- calculate energy levels for one-electron atoms
- Ionic Bonding
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- describe and explain the periodic trends in electronegativity
- explain the origin of ionic bonding
- explain why ionic interactions lead to crystals rather than small molecules
- explain the meaning of the term “lattice energy”
- understand how the lattice energy is influenced by size and charge of the ions
- explain how ionic radii influence crystal structure, and why they differ from atomic radii
- Bonding - MO theory
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- explain how electron sharing leads to lowering of electronic energy in terms of increasing the de Broglie wavelength.
- predict electronic configurations and bond orders for diatomic molecules, given a molecular orbital (MO) energy diagram
- predict relative binding energies and bond lengths from bond order
- recognise a bonding or antibonding orbital from the lobe representation
- recognize a σ orbital and a σ* orbital
- recognize a π orbital, a π orbital and a non-bonding orbital
- identify the valence electrons and orbitals in diatomic molecules
- distinguish between polar and apolar bonds in diatomic molecules and relate it to electron attraction of a nucleus (electronegativity)
- draw out ground state electronic configurations for molecules and molecular ions given their allowed energy levels
- calculate bond order from molecular electronic configurations
- explain the difference between paramagnetism and diamagnetism
- predict whether a molecule will be diamagnetic or paramagnetic from its orbital energy diagram
- recall the meaning of HOMO and LUMO and determine the lowest energy electronic transition
- Band Theory - MO in Solids
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- recognise that interactions of σ-orbitals gives rise to a valence bands, and σ* orbitals give rise to a conduction band in covalent networks
- use, define and explain the concepts of conduction band, valence band, band gap, hole, acceptor level, donor level, n-doping and p-doping
- explain the relationship between band gap and electrical and optical properties
- explain how n or p doping gives rise to conductivity of electrons and hole
- explain why the conductivity of semiconductors increases with temperature
- recognise a diagram of the band structure of insulators, metals and types of semiconductor.
- recall that the number of molecular orbitals increases with the number of atoms in a molecule
- Lewis Structures
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- draw out plausible Lewis structures for simple polyatomic molecules
- assign bond orders based on sharing of electron pairs, resonance structures and formal charges
- explain the relationship between resonance and electron delocalisation in molecular orbitals
- Molecular Shape
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- describe the electron pair geometries and molecular shapes for molecules containing between 2 and 6 electron pairs
- assign molecular shapes based on Lewis structures and VSEPR theory
- explain the difference between polar bonds and polar molecules
- predict, based on molecular shape, whether a molecule will have a net dipole moment
- convert between Lewis and stick representations of simple organic molecules
- identify carbon-carbon single, double and triple bonds
- appreciate the consequences of restricted rotation around double bonds
- appreciate the existence of non-superimposable images in some organic molecules
- predict the molecular shape around atoms within an organic molecule
- explain the lock-and-key hypothesis for molecular recognition
- determine whether a molecule is polar
- Gas Laws
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- use the ideal gas law to relate the number of moles, pressure, volume and temperature of a gas
- relate gas density and molar mass
- convert between the common units of pressure (atm, Pa and mmHg)
- use the appropriate value of the gas constant, R
- use Dalton's law of partial pressures
- Material Properties (Polymers, Liquid Crystals, Metals, Ceramics)
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- explain complementary colours
- explain the origins of discrete and continuous spectra
- relate wavelength of a photon to energy difference
- describe the qualitative differences between atomic and molecular electronic spectra
- define conductivity, paramagnetism and diamagnetism
- recognise conductors and insulators by their conductivity
- define an allotrope
- define UV-A -B, and -C radiation.
- Liquid Crystals
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- describe lyotropic, nematic and smectic A & C thermotropic liquid crystals
- explain the general features of the liquid crystal state
- describe how liquid crystals can be used to generate displays
- relate intermolecular forces to boiling points and surface tension
- Thermochemistry
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- define system, surroundings and universe for simple thermodynamic processes
- explain the difference between heat and temperature
- use the First Law of Thermodynamics to calculate the change in internal energy accompanying heating and expanding an ideal gas
- relate temperature and heat change using specific and molar heat capacities
- calculate internal energy changes using the bomb calorimeter
- Enthalpy
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- define the difference between internal energy and enthalpy
- draw enthalpy diagrams for endothermic and exothermic processes
- obtain the enthalpy change using a coffee-cup calorimeter
- define the enthalpy change for phase changes and for the formation, atomization and combustion of compounds
- use Hess's Law
- estimate atomization energies from bond enthalpies
- define standard states
- combine enthalpies of formation to work out the enthalpy change for chemical reactions
- combine enthalpies of reactions to work out the enthalpies of formation
- explain the advantages and disadvantages of different fuels
- work out the efficiency of fuels
- Entropy
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- explain the thermodynamic concept of spontaneity
- define entropy as the tendency of energy to spread out in a spontaneous process
- predict the relative entropy of solids, liquids and gases and how entropy is affected by temperature, molecular size and complexity
- define and use the Second Law of Thermodynamics
- relate the entropy change of the universe to the Gibbs free energy
- use Gibbs free energy to predict spontaneous and non-spontaneous processes
- Nitrogen Chemistry and Compounds
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- explain the difference between a fuel and an explosive
- explain the concept of activation energy
- work out the oxidation number of nitrogen in its compounds
- work out the shapes and the number of unpaired electrons on nitrogen oxides and halides
- discuss the NOx cycle in the atmosphere
- explain how the temperature of a planet without a greenhouse effect can be calculated
- comment on the evidence for global warming and the most important greenhouse gases
- Equilibrium
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- explain what reactions are spontaneous and under what conditions
- explain the dynamic nature of equilibrium processes
- write the equilibrium constant for any reaction or process
- use initial, change, equilibrium (ICE) tables
- calculate the value of the equilibrium constant for a reverse reaction from its value for a forward reaction, and if the stoichiometry is changed
- calculate the equilibrium constant for a reaction obtained by combining two other reactions
- explain the difference between the equilibrium constant, K, and the reaction quotient, Q
- write down the reaction quotient and use it to predict the direction of change
- use Le Chatelier's principle to predict the response of a system at equilibrium to changes in temperature, pressure and composition
- explain how catalysts effect chemical reactions without changing the equilibrium concentrations
- relate the equilibrium constant, K, to the change in the Gibbs free energy
- Equilibrium and Thermochemistry in Industrial Processes
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- explain the main processes used industrially to extract metals from their ores
- use Ellingham diagrams to predict which metals can be extracted using coke at different temperatures
- discuss the role of the chemical industry in the modern world and Australia with particular regard to the Top Ten chemicals
- outline the thermodynamic principles behind the industrially optimized routes to sulfuric acid and ammonia
- Electrochemistry
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- relate the sign of the electrode potential to the direction of spontaneous change
- combine half cells to produce balanced redox reactions and to calculate cell potentials
- identify the species which are being oxidzied and those being reduced in a redox reaction
- write down the cell notation for a Galvanic cell including ones involving inert electrodes
- use the Nernst equation to calculate the effect of concentration on the cell potential
- relate the electrode potential and the reaction quotient
- relate the standard electrode potential, the equilibrium constant and the change in Gibbs free energy
- Electrolytic Cells
By the end of this topic, you should be able to
- identify the processes and species formed at the anode and cathode of Galvanic and electrolytic cells
- identify the direction of electron flow in Galvanic and electrolytic cells
- identify what can be electroysed and the role of over-potential in the electrolysis of water and in the production of NaOH and Cl2
- use Faraday's Laws of Electrolysis to relate the amount of product to the electric current applied